Operation SafeHouse

What would you do if you encountered a teen that had run away from home? What if he/she asked you to help him/her off the streets? How could you best help him or her? Thankfully in Riverside County we have an agency that helps teens and families in situations just like this.

Operation SafeHouse, with Community Support, provides Emergency Shelter, Intervention and Outreach Services to Runaway, Homeless and Other Youth in Crisis. SafeHouse offers at-risk youth positive alternatives to becoming victims of the streets.

You can find more information on Operation Safehouse by calling their main number in Riverside (951) 351-4418, contacting their Coachella Valley number (760) 343-3211, or visiting their website: www.operationsafehouse.org. The agency’s e-mail address is safeplace@operationsafehouse.org.

FAQ #2 — Since you're part of the county, could you put in a good word for me?

2-1-1 Riverside County is a service of the Volunteer Center of Riverside County. Upon hearing this many people assume this means that we are a county agency. Sometimes a caller needing a specific service will ask us to use our influence to assist him/her in some way. It is then that we have to explain that our agency is actually a private non-profit. We have no ties to the county (though we often refer people to county departments). This means that if a community member or caller is frustrated with some particular service provider within the county, the only power we have is to listen and document. We cannot actually hold any county agency accountable. This also means that if people have concerns about 2-1-1, taking these concerns to the County will not be very useful either. Our position as an outside agency allows 2-1-1 to advocate for the public by giving people the best possible information available to us. After all, our mission statement reads:
2-1-1 Riverside County: The primary link between our neighbors in need and the quality of life they strive to achieve.

So, 2-1-1 is going to pay my light bill, right?

Thus begins our FAQ section. Second only to what we are, the most common question is how 2-1-1 is going to provide services. The answer is that we are in the empowerment business. By that I mean, that when 2-1-1 Riverside County provides Information and Referral to resources in Riverside County, we are attempting to empower our callers. The old truism states that "Knowledge is power." Our aim is to give our callers contact information for agencies that provide the services they need. Ultimately we strive to help our caller become more self-sufficient so that if she/he has a similar need again, she/he will know how to find the help she/he needs. So it is not just information and referral, we are empowering the residents of Riverside County to seek and find the help they need to become stronger, more efficient members of society. If you are feeling the urge to say "Wow," don't let me stop you!